
1. Creating meaningful values
Values form a core part of company culture. Establishing values that employees agree with, adhere to and own, however, is easier said than done. This was just as true for digital marketing agency Croud as for many other businesses. In early 2018, Croud had 10 company values that almost no-one in the business could remember, let alone put into practice. From recruitment to marketing, teams struggled to effectively communicate Croud’s culture and what made it unique.
- A cross-company online survey asked employees to provide three adjectives that best describe Croud
- Working groups refined the shortlist into three core values (passion, imagination, integrity)
- The company introduced values ambassadors to champion these values and gather feedback
- ?Croud Coins? help staff recognise and reward each other for behaviour demonstrating Croud values
2. Improving employee wellbeing
Recent years have seen an increased focus on employee wellbeing. And with good reason. Happy, healthy employees are much better workers, for starters. As an incentive-led recruitment agency, Whitehall Resources realised it sometimes overlooked employee wellbeing and happiness. A company-wide survey in 2017 confirmed this as an area for improvement.?After further research, the agency implemented measures to turn this around:- A wellbeing strategy of benefits and cultural changes, including a new paid-for medical benefits package, enhanced maternity/paternity pay, EAP service and counselling
- An ongoing internal campaign to educate teams on topics such as mental and physical wellbeing and financial health
- Learning and development sessions on mental health issues in the workplace
- Regular promotion of the HR open-door policy
- Periodic dogs-at-work days

3. Enabling professional development
Providing useful learning and development opportunities can be a challenge for large companies, let alone small businesses ? something Janine Laity, head of people and culture at Frugi, knows well. ?Our annual staff survey highlighted that a number of employees were unsure how they could progress in their roles and, if they did, they didn?t know how they would go about it,? says Laity.??We agreed that we needed a fully transparent approach to careers. We then carried out a training needs analysis that allowed us to match personal training requests and business critical needs.? To achieve complete transparency, Frugi gave employees access to job descriptions, pay and rewards. The childrenswear business also developed a skills and competency framework to help its employees understand job requirements at every level.?It’s an approach that has seen great success. ?Over 40 staff members have already graduated from our five-month management development programme,? says Laity. Improving learning and development has also helped Brother UK improve its company culture. Four years ago, Brother had no centralised HR system or formal learning and development strategy. The company decided to completely overhaul its approach to training and to standardise management and appraisal processes. In 2016, it launched the Brother Employee Engagement Toolkit, a bespoke app-based solution enabling employees to prioritise their personal and professional development.?Since rollout, the appraisal completion rate across the business has increased from 60% to 100% and 84% of staff have gone above and beyond the required level of learning and development.4. Maintaining good culture
It?s one thing to create a positive culture. It can be another challenge altogether to maintain this positivity and ensure it adapts as your company grows. This is something Max Parmentier, CEO of 2019?s top SME Culture Leader Birdie, is very familiar with.
5. Improving communication and trust
Good communication and trust often go hand in hand. Together they form the backbone of good organisational culture. So how do you foster a culture that inspires trust among employees? Well, sometimes one clear, simple change is all it takes. ?Removing timesheets was the best move we?ve ever made,? says Suzanne Linton, MD of digital agency Freestyle.??In removing timesheets, our team know they are trusted to deliver. Their productivity isn?t measured on how many hours they put in to a certain project, but on the quality of output.?

6. Recruiting and retaining good people
Finding the right people for your business is essential, but can be difficult. Startup Practice Labs has expanded rapidly. Its challenge has been gaining a real understanding of the differences between each office?s local culture and working style.?The company?s recruitment process has helped considerably in overcoming this. Each candidate provides real-world examples of what the company?s four values mean to them personally, and why. If successful, they sign up to abide by them when they join Practice Labs. If attracting employees is one challenge, keeping them is another. Like many companies, PR agency Liberty Comms has at times found it difficult to retain talent. As a small agency, it?s especially difficult to compete with larger PR firms perceived to offer more opportunities for growth. Liberty therefore consulted staff to develop a holistic support scheme covering financial, social, physical and mental wellbeing. This included access to LifeWorks, a wellbeing platform connecting staff to counsellors, financial advisors and discounts to support physical health. Liberty also provides a tailored ?happiness plan? for each employee.7. Changing your mindset
Often, improving company culture is a case of changing the way people think, their approach to a certain activity or their reaction to another. As Chris Jefford, founder of Truant London, puts it, ?The biggest obstacle we’ve overcome is a shift in mindset amongst the leaders in the business, from a passive to more active view on achieving positive culture.? ?For a long time I think we believed that ‘culture just happens’, and to a degree it does,? he says, ?but it?s too much to put the onus completely on your team to care enough to actively build a strong culture that aligns with the company vision.? He continues: ?As leaders, we have to lead by example. Culture, like fire, needs oxygen. It needs fuel. Our role as leaders is to provide that.? It?s an opinion that Heather Baker, CEO at TopLine Comms shares. ?One of the key things I have learned in the decade since launching TopLine is that culture flows directly from the company’s leaders,? she says.??My mood and behaviour and those of other senior team members can dictate the mood of the entire office. This means self-awareness and self-monitoring are important.? Of course, this can involve making difficult decisions. ?To create an adult, positive culture, sometimes you have to call people out and be tough,? says Helen Jamieson, managing director at Jaluch. She continues:?As a leader you must be completely clear and focused on the culture you want to create. Never compromise on your values. Be brave.??
Changing behaviour together
It?s not only leaders who have to change the way they think. Last year, creative agency eight&four restructured in order to reposition as an audience-first business. People can be quite resistant to change, so retaining a positive company culture during this period was vital. To ensure everyone was on the same page, eight&four used personal development meetings to focus on how employees? behaviour aligned with core values. This encouraged staff to always keep these values in mind, helping the agency to guide and reward behaviour.How to win at company culture
HR software company Breathe is on a mission to spread the word about great company culture and encourage UK SMEs to invest in theirs. Breathe has launched its very own Company Culture Pledge. 400+ companies have signed up to it already. If you care about your company culture, why not sign up today? Here?s Breathe CEO Jonathan Richards talking about the pledge and why you should sign it.Share this story